The field of the invention relates generally to electric motors, and more specifically to, hybrid motor drive circuits for variable speed induction motors.
At least some known permanent split capacitor (“PSC”) motors are fixed speed motors that are most efficient when operating at line frequency. Such PSC motors have uncontrolled acceleration during startup. Further, at low load conditions, such PSC motors operate at a higher power level than necessary. Alternatively, variable speed motor controllers exist that adapt motor speed to the load level, but are limited by power factor, electromagnetic interference, and electronic loss considerations.